Interview: NYC Mayor Adams Defends Record, Calls For Cuomo To Quit, And Issues Warning About Mamdani

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is currently trailing in polls ahead of the November mayoral race — but he tells Mo News that the race has only just started. In an interview with Mosheh, Adams said he’s focused on spreading his message about his record and administration’s wins — including on the economy and public safety — and registering 1 million new voters. Mosheh asks Adams how he plans to overcome his dismal favorability ratings with New Yorkers, while also pressing him on his five-count criminal indictment. It made him the first New York City mayor to be indicted, but was dropped by the Trump Justice Department in February. They discuss his relationship with Trump and what actually went down earlier this year. Adams also addresses a number of the promises made by Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani — the 33 year-old Democratic Socialist who ran on promises of free childcare, free buses, rent freezes, and a sweeping social justice and tax agenda. Adams has some blunt words in this interview for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary but is still considering an independent run. A Mamdani victory is all but guaranteed if both Adams and Cuomo remain in and split the centrist vote. Adams also discussed his origin story — including how getting beaten up by a police officer as a teen led him to join the NYPD— and played a round of rapid-fire questions on what he loves most about New York. (His favorite restaurant? Hint: it’s in Harlem.) —- Mosheh Oinounou (@mosheh) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.